Overview
Competitive summer internships often serve as feeder programs into highly sought-after positions or as valuable real-world training before graduate studies in the sciences, medicine, or liberal arts, such that students who list an internship on their resumes receive 14% more interview offers than those who do not (Nunley, 2016). Further, improvements in diversity in medicine and research—stagnant for decades despite industry-wide efforts, require early-stage investments, while workforce needs in medicine and research continue to grow. Globally, companies in the top quartile for ethnic diversity on their executive teams were 33% more likely to experience above-average profitability than companies in the bottom quartile for diversity (McKinsey, 2018). Patients have better outcomes when diverse teams provide care. This could be due to heterogeneous teams pushing members to think more critically and carefully.
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At the Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH), our goal is to help promising students explore early interest in the biomedical sciences by offering an opportunity to conduct original investigative research in many positions and roles suited to their scientific interests. With thought-leading experts in such areas as translational sciences, epidemiology, computational biology, and immunology, prospective COVID Corps scholars will have the unique opportunity to learn, grow, and expand their skills and professional network as official members of the nation’s top hospital-based research program at the original and largest teaching hospital of Harvard Medical School, consistently ranked by the U.S. News and World Report as the nation’s leading research medical school. Moreover, by allowing a motivated, diverse workforce to explore and act on early interests earnestly, we may be able to recruit individuals who might not otherwise have considered pursuing careers in the biomedical research sciences.
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Read our publication in Nature Medicine about why and how we established the MGH COVID Corps Internship Program:
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Nguyen, L.H., Tan-McGrory, A., Oh, A.Y., Barreto, E.A., Bartels, S.J., Armstrong, K.A., Chan, A.T., & Warner, E.T. Diversifying the biomedical workforce during the COVID-19 pandemic. Nat Med 26, 1811 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41591-020-1134-7
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Resources
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Nunley, J.M., Pugh, A., Romero, N., Seals Jr., R.A. College major, internship experience, and employment opportunities: Estimates from a resume audit. Labor Economics (2016).
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Ely, R.J., Thomas, D.A. Getting Serious About Diversity: Enough Already with the Business Case. Harvard Business Review (2020).
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Gomez, L.E., Bernet, P. Diversity improves performance and outcome. J Natl Med Assoc (2019).
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Hunt, V., Prince, S., Dixon-Fyle, S., Yee, L. Delivering through Diversity. McKinsey & Company (2018).
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LaVeist, T.A., Pierre, G. Integrating the 3Ds – Social Determinants, Health Disparities, and Health-Care Workforce Diversity. Public Health Reports (2014).
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Lorenzo, R., Voigt, N., Tsusaka, M., Krentz, M., Abouzahr, K. How Diverse Leadership Teams Boost Innovation. BCG (2018).
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Rock, D., Grant, H. Why Diverse Teams Are Smarter. Harvard Business Review (2016).
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Rock, D., Grant, H., Grey, J. Diverse Teams Feel Less Comfortable – and That’s Why They Perform Better. Harvard Business Review (2016).
Massachusetts General Hospital COVID Corps Biomedical Research Internship Program
Program Features
Under the close guidance of a carefully selected primary faculty lead, MGH COVID Corps Scholars will benefit from a robust program of training. They will contribute to various research projects related to our basic and translational understanding of human health and disease. Other planned activities include:
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Extensive program orientation and experiential scientific skills training commensurate to the level of training
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Weekly seminars and networking events
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End-of-summer presentation on the research project and overall experience
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Potential for ongoing mentorship and longitudinal research experiences during the academic year (80% of our 2022 COVID Corps class remained with their research team after their summer internship)
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A summer stipend of $3,000
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Hybrid internship that the intern and mentor will agree upon at the start of the program
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Eligibility
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Historically underrepresented individuals in the biomedical research sciences, including those from disadvantaged backgrounds are strongly encouraged to apply. This broad definition may include, but is not limited to:
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​Women or gender diverse individuals of any ethnic or racial group;
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Those identifying as Hispanic, Black, Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander, Southeast Asian, or American Indian/Alaska Native; or
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First-generation/Low-income college/graduate students
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Current undergraduate or graduate (including medical) students who will still be enrolled in Fall 2023 (not graduating in 2023)
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Must be able to work 40 hour/week for the entire summer program duration (8 weeks)
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Given the hybrid nature of the internship, reside in Boston metro area, <1-hour car or train ride from MGH (preferred)
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Must be up to date on all vaccinations, including COVID-19 and flu
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Timeline
Applications and Letters of Recommendation Due: Friday, February 24th, 2023, by 5pm ET
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Decisions released: Early March 2023
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Program Start Date: June 12th, 2023
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Program End Date: August 4th, 2023
How to Apply: For Students
Check back in 2024!
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How to Apply: For Mentors
Applications for the 2023 program are now open!
Questions?
Contact the Disparities Solution Center at DisparitiesSolutions@partners.org or visit the DSC website.
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COVID Corps Cohorts
Meet the students and mentors of our past cohorts.
Get news & updates about next year's COVID Corps program by subscribing to our monthly newsletter below.​
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